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Behavior Water

Shawn089

Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jan 1, 2012
Messages
17
I have two piggies. Some people know me already. Their names are Teemo and Gizmo. They both aren't drinking a lot of water recently. I moved their cage over from a friends house to my house. They were originally living there but since Saturday they have been here and not really drinking water. They have drank some. They aren't drinking a lot but they are some. They eat. They play. They hide from me but they don't drink the water and I am a little concerned. I know my biggest one, Teemo, has a little runnier of poo recently. A little wetter but still bean shaped. I am also concerned about that. I look at his body to make sure nothing if something is wrong and nothing is. They wheek and be cute popcorn every once in a while. They're to the right of my computer with all cords hiding away but they jusy hide from me as if I have a death stare. One just jumped in the air lol. I am just worried is all.
[GuineaPigCages.com] Water
 
Did their diet change with the move? With more fruits and veggies they would be getting better hydration with what they eat and possibly drink less water. Did their water bottle change? The runny poo...I would say watch closely to make sure it doesn't turn into diarrhea :eek:hmy: That is the best advice I can offer, because I don't know what you mean when you say the difference between "a lot" and "some" water; hopefully someone who knows you already can say more :expressio
But they are darling little guins! I like the pink nose :)
 
They're just adjusting to a new place, I think. Watch them and make sure the poop doesn't get really runny, or stay soft. If that happens, post back here and we'll re-evaluate.
 
Thanks. I think their diet did change a little. They get lettuce more and they have some strawberries and oranges. They love them greens. I hope they're ok. I was thinking they were adjusting. I just worry so it doesn't hurt to ask.
 
Well, between the move and more lettuce I believe it is pretty normal for their poos to be a little damper than usual, as veggies and fruits give them more water - which can explain the water is not being drunk as much :)
 
Do they have unlimited hay? What type of lettuce are you feeding them? Don't feed them head lettuce which is mostly water with little nutritional value.
 
Unlimited hay, yes. Head lettuce... I am not sure. They're long strips.
 
and thank you all. I just want reassurance. I love the cute guys
 
Iceberg and romaine are considered to be head lettuces, red and green leaf lettuces are leaf lettuces.
 
hmmm... yes, i gave them a head lettuce. What are good lettuces? Names if possible? :3
 
Red or green leaf lettuce is preferred. Others, usually more expensive, are butterhead and boston.
 
Romaine, Bibb, Boston, Oakleaf...
 
Don't forget to check the mechanics of the water bottles. Sometimes the balls will get lodged so that they're not moving right. Even a weird tilt of the bottle will prevent the release of water.
 
I checked the water bottle. It isn't that. I will get some different lettuce. Taking care of them is a little more new to me. I am feeding them right though :3 Not the lettuce o.o
 
Leafy lettuce they adore :p i feed my gals green leady lettuce and they enjoy every bit of it... Even steal from each other lol.
 
Hermangp, many of us have found that our pigs have powdery or sludgy urine with romaine lettuce. Some pigs do fine with it, but many others don't. Just as a suggestion, if you're going to recommend romaine, you might also caution the readers to watch for powdery/sludgy urine spots, and to switch their pigs off of it if they find them. Thanks!
 
Hermangp, many of us have found that our pigs have powdery or sludgy urine with romaine lettuce. Some pigs do fine with it, but many others don't. Just as a suggestion, if you're going to recommend romaine, you might also caution the readers to watch for powdery/sludgy urine spots, and to switch their pigs off of it if they find them. Thanks!

Good point. Mine have never had an issue, but I have heard that it can be a problem with some pigs. I'm guessing because of the relatively high Ca levels in romaine?
 
Actually, hermangp, romaine isn't signficantly higher in calcium than the other lettuces. No one really knows what causes it. But either romaine has something in it that causes the calcium excretion, or doesn't have something that prevents it, and it's just the opposite for the other lettuces.
 
Actually, hermangp, romaine isn't signficantly higher in calcium than the other lettuces. No one really knows what causes it. But either romaine has something in it that causes the calcium excretion, or doesn't have something that prevents it, and it's just the opposite for the other lettuces.

Yes, I checked the guinealynx chart after leaving the last post and saw that you are absolutely correct about the Ca content in romaine. Very interesting...
I like the red leaf and curly lettuces myself so that is what I generally feed my pigs, but this topic has reminded me to check the chart before trying anything new. I've tried to feed them both arugula and pak choi in the last week or so without realizing how high in calcium they are. Incidentally, they wouldn't touch either!
 
I had an issue with Maximus von Lichtenwalder drinking enough water from his bottle, the bottle worked fine but he would so seldom use it . It wasn't until I went over to using an ergonomic bowl that he started to take sufficient water.

Since he has never pooped in his water and his house is large and roomy enough that he doesn't ever have to run over it, it remains unsoiled. I change his water twice a day. I have concluded that water bowls don't have to be a problem to keep clean and since he is now taking water often enough that we frequently see him drinking I'm happy with the fact he didn't like the bottle idea and prefers to take water from a bowl.

He also doesn't stain from his veggies, I guess because he is dipping his face into water and cleaning himself afterwards.
 
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